Do the benefits of midwife-assisted delivery outweigh the Research Paper

Do the benefits of midwife-assisted delivery outweigh the disadvantages - Research Paper Example For this reason, childbirth has been considered as a serious health condition that needs clinical or medical intervention. Since the 20th century, the number of women who give birth from home has significantly declined. Although there are some parts in the U.S. that legally consider midwife-assisted delivery to have some benefits over the health condition of pregnant women during the child delivery, some states in the U.S. including Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, South Dakota, and Wyoming do not legally allow the practice of midwife-assisted delivery not unless the midwife has been certified as Nurse Midwife (Mana). Approximately 50% to 80% of the childbirth today takes place within the hospital settings. (Wagner) Despite the fact that majority of childbirth is done within the clinical areas, the number of minor to life-threatening childbirth complications remains high not only in caesarean surgeries but also in normal spontaneous delivery. Aside from the fact that hospital births can cause a significant increase in the number of infant deaths, hospital births also contributes to the significant increase in the number of mothers who died due to maternal hemorrhage, shoulder dystocia, eclampsia, or infection. For this study, whether or not the benefits of midwife-assisted delivery outweigh the disadvantages will be thoroughly discussed. Approximately 87.3% of child delivery that has occurred in the hospitals was personally attended by the midwives (Declercq). Between the years 1975 to 1988, the number of total births that was attended by the midwives has increased from 0.9% up to 3.4% respectively (Advance Report of Final Natality Statistics, 1988). Since the U.S. Department of Health has tried to minimize maternal and infant mortality rate, some states in the country prohibit lay midwives to assist in child delivery especially when assisting childbirth from home. Since then, the

Human Resource Information Systems Essay Example for Free

Human Resource Information Systems Essay Employees’ retention and keeping them satisfied so that they work on their full capacity and be productive for the company is very important. They should be well motivated and the programs like compensation, training and development and base salary should set such that employees feel that the company values them and their hard work a lot. For all this, the company’s human resource department has to put in all of this data into the computer system and then to manage it for further references in future. This information is then saved in the company’s system and special software’s are there to handle them for the company. Since the human resource department happens to bear the responsibility of the organization in the terms of the range of tasks for the employees and how the employees are supposed to interact with each other depending on their assigned designations and with other businesses. The software’s used in the human resource department have a range which starts from performing a primary function, to all complete software suits which are designed to solve all the needs of human resource department may have. These software target all the functions of human resource like payroll, benefits, for employees, recruiting, compliance and many more. This information maintained is so sensitive that it must be and should be handled by the human resource department only, and should be uploaded on their network map drives rather than on every other department’s, which might cause trouble as they would be able to access it. In this report, it would also be discussed that which of the software the companies use would be the best for them because of their efficiency and the time they consume to give out results to them. Human resource information technology faces many needs. Like mentioned above, human resource department has to solve many assignments related to the payroll of the employees, the benefits the employees get on their performance they show for the company. Other software or the multi task software check about the employees and keeps a record of their designations and the promotions they get further in their careers. The last part of compliance software is used to ensure that the policies they are making do not abuse the company mission and other goals they really want to achieve. For the payroll part of human resource, human resource department needs those softwares that can do the basic function for them like calculation all the employees pay according to their given designations. This software must also be able to take calculations of the employees hourly and monthly pay. It should also be able to calculate the compensations and the uncompensated time given by the employee and added and adjusted in the employees’ salaries ( . Kavanagh and Thite, 2008) These softwares should be such that they automatically cut the taxes from the salaries of the employees of the company, and this tax should be both pre tax income and post – tax income of the employees especially when the employees have elected for the pre – tax deduction, which are known as the 410K, cafeteria, plan and medical deductions. Deduction management should also take place in this software, so that the employees do not have to do it manually, which cause some man error in calculations. If this is done manually, it would take a lot of time to get done with every employee of the company and their might be some errors too. The other department of human resource where they need information technology is at the benefits area. Softwares which is multi tasking or who performs solely benefit functions helps the human resource employees by making them track every other employee of the company, its accrual and the usage of benefits they get. This would also count paid time off, and the payments which are given on time. This software would also help the human resource employee to check whether the other employees’ are eligible for the medical and health related benefits. All those fringe benefits provided by the company like health clubs, to its employees may also be tracked the human resource department at the need of information. That is why, the companies’ need a software which would help them out the benefits for all the employees of the company and keep a record whether they are eligible for it or not. The third part is employees. This is an important part since it’s the duty of the human resource department to do the hiring and selecting of the employees and then later retain them for the company. Since the company is not run by only two or three department but by many, the number of employees is a lot too then. To keep a track on all of the employees, who are currently employed by the company is very hard and that too by their designations. Softwares help the human resource department people as they set a range of the designation for the employees and to the employees group at very different level of the organization. For employees, the human resource department would need few basic functions from the softwares. Human resources would like the softwares to have tracking system and also feature recording of employees’ performance, their attendances and absences and lastly the development and the work they are putting in for the company. This would help the company as they would know how much effort is been put in by the employees and who then becomes eligible for the compensation or the bonuses. This software may also have these features such as management of compensation, time information system, software which could do assessments on employee skills, on their training and education and a record on their behavior with other employees, especially if they got themselves into conflicts or an incident in which they have resolved things. Recruiting is another part of human resource department which requires software to do their task on every process of the recruitment. This software would have every employee’s job descriptions according to the designations and this may also help in future while hiring new people on those posts. Software might also help the human resource staff by storing extra information of prospective background and relocation of the employees among the departments and lastly, about the new employees who had been hired by the company. Lastly it’s compliance which is to be dealt by the human resource. Any software related to it would help the department by letting them know that whatever the company they are working for is complying with, is actually applicable with the laws or not. This includes the process of hiring new employees, so that no nepotism occurs and the qualified people are not left behind. No employee is fired or terminated without any legal reason. The education criterion matches the job post requirement and should also store information complaints regarding sexual harassment. Also that the company complies with all of the federal regulations they are supposed to follow. For human resource department, the best softwares they have found so far for their work to be done very efficiently are the OrangeHRM suite software and the other software is by the Microsoft, named Microsoft Dynamics suite which also happen to be single-source providers. These are considered to be the best softwares for the companies to complete their human resource related tasks. These softwares are such that they not only manage the tasks of the human resource department very efficiently but they also consumer less time to complete the assignment. The other softwares are Ajiva Simple HR which is considered to be a least expensive product and does all the functions required by the human resources. The information of this is available in the forms of graphical dashboard. Other software is of People-Trak HR which is affordable too and gets more expensive on adding more features ( Rashid, 2009). There are other softwares too for the human resource departments. There are other softwares too available for the completion of human resource department task. They are mostly related to the payroll like mentioned above, then work time of the employees, and the benefits administration to keep a track of who is eligible to get one or not. Recruiting softwares are also available and training and learning management system softwares are there too to help the employees the human resource department to sort out their things more easily (Sleezer, Wentling and Cude, 2002). Performance record softwares are also available for the human resource department that sorts out the bonuses or the incentives the employees would get according to their performance they have shown for the company. Lastly, appraisal softwares are also there so that the human resource department can collect online information about the views the employees hold for their company and their jobs and then make policies out of them so that the employees are highly motivated. Before selecting the software technology, the company must make sure whether the software they are going to get from the other source has enough flexibility and scalability for the human resource department and its tasks or not. The employees should determine that whether the data could be imported from the excel spread sheets, its databases and other paper documents, all those things which contain important data that needs to be put into computer, otherwise it would create a problem. The software should also be able to take in the information and do filter of things which it needs to take in and store in specific data bases. Companies should also check whether the software is able to accommodate the human resource department of the companies. If true software is picked out for the enrollment, it will evaluate the enrollment activity and impose all the necessary rules and combination of rules, messages and other ways to meet and fulfill the eligibility of the requirements which are desired.

female juvenile crime Essay -- essays research papers

Traditionally, there has been little research on or interest in the impact of female crime in modern society. In addition, juvenile crime rates are on the rise, which combine for a void of research or information on female juvenile offenders. In general, crime rates for women offenders have risen since the 1990's. Increasing numbers of young women are also offending at higher rates. In a 1996 U.S. Department of Justice Report, the number of arrests of young women had doubled between 1989 and 1993. Twenty percent of all juvenile arrests were committed by girls, an increase of 87 percent. However, according to The National Study of Delinquency Prevention in Schools, males are far more likely to admit to criminal involvement than are females. For example, 12 percent of males and 4 percent of females reported carrying a hidden weapon other than a pocketknife in the past year (Wilson, p.150). There are several theories for this rise in crime proposed by modern feminists, including that t he introduction of women into traditional male roles prompted women to commit increasingly dangerous and violent crimes. However, this paper will rely on Meda Chesney-Lind's theories from The Female Offender. First, Chesney-Lind points out that research on female offenders in general is lacking, and that victimization plays a key role in the offending of women. "†¦Responses must address a world that has been unfair to women and especially those of color and pover...

Group Counseling †Article Review Essay

Unlike the first article, this second article talks about group counseling in elementary school focusing on eliminating aggressive behaviors. The purpose of group counseling in this situation is to lessen aggression by influencing the feelings, emotions, judgments, and behaviors of the students in the process. Group counseling is perceived to be significant for the purpose of lessening aggressive behavior because elementary student, in their respective ages, are highly dependent on groups or group structures. Children relate with each other making it much easier to break into the group structure and influence thoughts, feelings, or behavior that would consequently influence else within the group. Eight sessions were held to implement the concepts of group counseling and intervention. At the end of the sessions, the children were required to attend a follow-up meeting four weeks after. The result of the study revealed that learning took place and the children displayed desirable changes in their behavior. What I like most about the article is that it was based on an actual study conducted on elementary students, and that the purpose of the study is to change specific behaviors within the subjects. The objective of the researcher to approach the problem proactively yielded great results as the sessions have revealed that the aggressive behavior of the children were transformed during the group counseling sessions. The article would be a great source of valid and reliable information that could be applied to future situations that requires behavioral intervention. Moreover, the process is solution-based, such that the study focused on a particular problem which is common in the elementary school setting, and conducted research and data gathering which led to a specific resolution that schools would be able to adapt of implement within their school and guidance and counseling system. Another characteristic that is likeable in the article is that it opens opportunities for further studies and other related studies, such as the adaptation of the steps carried out in the study however, differing in the problem, etc. The success of the study would urge other schools and guidance and counseling professionals to conduct other studies that would resolve other issues as well. References Stewart, J. (1996). Group Counseling Elementary School Children Who Use Aggressive Behaviors. Guidance & Counseling, 11, 12-15). Retrieved November 12, 2008 from Academic Search Complete via EBSCOHost.

Condition Precedent

Condition precedent exists when a situation or circumstance has to be achieved, or action needs to be taken in order for one of the other party’s side of the contract to be considered valid. An example of this situation may be Joe offering to sell his car to Jim, as long as Jim can provide say, proof of insurance and a driver’s license. Assuming Jim has a driver’s license and has/can obtain auto insurance, the two parties can move forward. Joe will have agreed to sell the car to Jim. On the other hand, should Jim be incapable or unwilling to provide a license and insurance, Joe is not obligated to sell the car to Jim. In the case mentioned in the text, health insurance is often provided depending on a potential client’s current physical condition. In other words, insurance protect themselves from covering individuals who may be what they consider to be a liability. This example is a clear cut demonstration of how the insurance company protects its own assets by â€Å"conditions precedent†(Clarkson, Miller & Cross, 2011). Conditions subsequent strikes me as a bit more abstract of a concept than condition precedent, by virtue of its inherently negative nature. Put another way, one party’s obligation may be terminated based on the failure of the second party to maintain it’s side of the contract. As it applies to employment, and as was mentioned within the text, an employer may agree to enter into a contract with an employee so long as the employee maintains his or her license to practice (i. e. perform a task to the company’s benefit). In a situation where the employee fails to maintain his/her end of the agreement (loses license, fails to maintain condition, etc. the company is no longer under contract to continue employing that individual (Clarkson, Miller & Cross, 2011). The benefit lies largely with the company-protecting its own assets, as it would not be beneficial to have a lawyer on staff incapable of maintaining a license to practice law. On the other hand, the employee may be able to see a definite benefit as well. He or she knows that the position is hers as long as she meets and maintains her side of the co ntract. Lastly, concurrent conditions, strike me as being the most common conditions we’re likely to come across. They occur in many everyday transactions with businesses by their very nature; which is that duties or actions be met simultaneously between both parties in order for a contract to be valid. In most business transactions, at retail or otherwise, occur when the consumer offers to provide money in exchange for a good or service. The service provider may perform the task and send an invoice, or merchant may agree to sell the product with a promise to pay (such as with credit cards, checks, and credit account) later. But in most cases, the item is given to the consumer once payment is received and payment usually immediately follows a service.

Death Race Cast Interview Essays

Death Race Cast Interview Essays Death Race Cast Interview Paper Death Race Cast Interview Paper Death Race Analysis Commentary The film Death Race was launched in 2008 and was directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, with the stars being Jason Statham and Tyrese Gibson. The plot of the film is set partly in the busy streets of America and mostly at the Terminal Island penitentiary where the prisoners are the main characters. The gladiator game, Death Race consists of drivers who fight for their freedom on the track. Jensen Ames (Jason Statham), a former NASCAR driver, is framed for murdering his wife and jailed at Terminal Island to make the race lively and increasing ratings. Together with Machine Gun Joe (Tyrese Gibson), they hatch a plot to escape the prison in the middle of the final race. The movie culminates in the death of the warden in a bomb blast and the in the final scene, Jensen Ames and Machine Gun Joe reunite in Mexico. The film is very interesting and action-packed. How much time did you use in perfecting your roles as convicts and drivers? Jason Statham: I am particularly interested in cars, especially German made automobiles. Every vehicle that I own is German. The selection of the Mustang for Death Race came as a surprise for me but then again, driving is driving so I was comfortable with it. Therefore, the driving part was rather easy for me. As for taking on the role of a convict, it was slightly more difficult, and I had to prepare myself mentally. Tyrese Gibson: The driving experience was the most in the Death Race set as I was not that used to high-speed racing but I managed to handle it well enough. The convict role was rather easy for me; I have played several roles, as an inmate so I understood what was required (Berardinelli, 2008). Death Race had many frightening scenes involving car stunts, fistfights and near-death conflicts. Tell us some of your memorable moments in the film shooting. Jason Statham: The car stunts involved breathtaking 360 turns that was quite difficult to achieve while shooting fellow drivers. At one time, I was driving at about 160 km/h that was extremely daring and required my full concentration. Racing and fighting other people was also a new and exciting memory for me. Tyrese Gibson: The driving experience was a rather hair-raising experience. I had many moments when fellow drivers gave me a fright, when they shot at my Dodge ram, but I eventually got used to it. Jason Statham was excellent in his command of the vehicle so all I had to do was follow his lead. The combination of driving and combat was very exciting (Ebert, 2008). Are there any actors or producers on and off the set that you would like to work with again in the near future? Jason Statham: Tyrese Gibson is definitely at the top of my list of people in Death Race that I would consider for another action film. Hiss aggression and determination convinced me to improve my own acting skills and together, we were a terrific team. I also look forward to working with upcoming directors such as Michael Mann and Scorsese. Tyrese Gibson: Statham, Tom Cruise and Stallone are just some of the people I would look up when I need to grow my acting career. My previous experience with action movies has reinforced my belief that I can fit in the field without many problems (Borys, 2007). Did you undergo any training programs that were related to the shooting of Death Race? Jason Statham: Yes. We were subjected to physical training sessions by Logan Hood, an extremely intense ex-Navy trainer. We went through body weight distribution, push-ups and squats to get us physically ready for the shoot. We were also kept on a strict vegetarian diet that consisted of a lot of proteins and fruits. Tyrese Gibson: The movie set had a training program that left me very fit and ready to take on physical scenes. I used to wake up at 5am to go for gym sessions and then later on prepare for the film. The stunts in the movie were easy to execute, although I must say I had one or two bruises, but no major injuries were recorded in the whole set. Do you feel that acting is the best career for you currently? Jason Statham: Most definitely. I have always wanted to do many things behind the camera ever since I was in college. Of course, I did not attend drama school and my acting career started all of sudden when Guy Ritchie gave me a part so I must say I was at the right place at the right time. However, I have come to learn how to be a good actor, and it is that and God that keeps me vigilant and aware of the changes in the industry (Koehler, 2008). Tyrese Gibson: I had always wanted to get on television and feature in a movie. I had acted a couple of times, but the Death Race experience was very new to me. I consider myself a very competent actor as I have taken various roles and performed them satisfactorily. I have been acting for many years now, and I can say that it has been the best time of my life so I think that it is my career at currently (Tinneny, 2008). Lastly, do you have any plans concerning the release of any films that we might look out for in the near future? Jason Statham: Yes, I have Crank 2 that I just finished shooting last week so viewers should look out for that. Tyrese Gibson: I have some minor roles to play in a few movies alongside some other major artists but for now, I am planning to work on my music and release an album. Thank you. References Berardinelli J. (2008) Death Race. Retrieved from reelviews.net Borys Kit (2007). â€Å"Statham in ‘Death Race’ driver’s seat†. Retrieved from hollywoodreporter.com Ebert R. (2008). Death Race. Retrieved from http://rogerebert.suntimes.com Koehler R. (2008). Death Race. Retrieved from variety.com Lee N. (2008) Death Race. Retrieved from http://movies.nytimes.com Tinneny T. (2008). â€Å"Death Race: The Set Visit!† Retrieved from comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php

iliad books 1 and 2 essays

iliad books 1 and 2 essays The first book begins with the description of the Danaans situation. It is the tenth year of the war, and an important incident occurs: Achilles decides to give up fighting against the Trojans, because of the way he was treated by Agamemnon. The reader is informed for what led to this position, through narrations and flash backs: after a battle at Thebe, the sacred city of Eetion, the Achaians took prophets Chryses daughter to offer as a gift to Agamemnon. Chryses begged the Achaians to give him his daughter back but they wouldnt. So he begged the god Apollo for his help, and the god, being extremely fond to the prophet, listened to his prayers and cursed the Achaians who suddenly were infected by plague. Gods informed them that this happened because of the terrible way Agamemnon answered Chryses requests. If the Achaians decided to give Chrysies back to her father, then the plague and all their other problems would disappear instantly. Agamemnon, quite bothered by this news decide d to do so for the sake of his men, in condition that he would be offered another girl replacing Chrysies, and he asked specifically for the one accompanying Achilles. Achilles is informed by the Gods that if he does so, all the problems of the Danaans will disappear. Although he obeys, he decides not to fight anymore. Briseis, the girl accompanying Achilles at first, holds an important role. She is both the solution to the problems between the Achaians and the God Apollo, and the motive for the terrible fight between two of the main characters and heroes of the Achaian army, Agamemnon and Achilles. After her donation to Agamemnon, Achilles makes up his mind: he was abused and shall not fight anymore. If the terms good guy bad guy can be used, then we may say that Agamemnon is the bad guy. He is acting as if he is god, he wants his will to be always heard and obeye ...

SAT Admission Requirements The Importance of the SAT

SAT Admission Requirements The Importance of the SAT SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you’re currently applying to college or getting ready to apply to college, you’ve probably heard of the SAT and/or the ACT.You may already know thatthe SAT is a standardized test which high school students take before applying to college, but how important is the SAT in college applications? It’s hard to overstate the importance of the SAT. Your testscore will beone of themost important partsof your college application (if not themost important part). In this guide, I'll explain why test scores are a key part of your application and how you can determine the SAT admission requirements for the schools you're interested in. Why Is the SAT Important to Colleges? There are two main reasons for the importance of the SAT to colleges. Let's go through them one at a time. #1: Your SAT Score Is How Colleges Compare You to Other Applicants from Around the Globe. Applicants to one university will come from different backgrounds, will have attended different high schools, will have taken different classes, will have done different extracurricular activities, but all applicants will have taken the SAT and/or ACT (at least at non-test optional schools). Your SAT score reveals whether your GPA and transcript are accurate representations of your academic ability. Admissions officers use your SAT/ACT score to figure out if your grades were inflated or not. If you have a 4.0 GPA with a perfect 1600 SAT score, admissions officers will likely be impressed and think your GPA is reflective of your academic potential.If you have a 4.0 GPA with 1000 SAT score, admissions officers may think your grades were inflated and that your SAT score is a better representation of your academic potential. A high SAT score can also make up for a lower GPA.If you have a 3.0 GPA with a perfect 1600 score, a college admissions officer may be willing to overlook your GPA and consider your SAT score as an indication that you’re college ready. #2: Colleges Are Judged by Their SAT Score Ranges The SAT is important to colleges becausethey use it tojudge your academic preparedness for college. However, it's also important to colleges because if you're admitted, your SAT score will be incorporated into their yearly SAT statistics. Each year, universities publish their freshman admissions profile (see an example of Princeton's freshman admissions profile).In this profile, collegesprovide the data on admitted students.The data includes either the 25th/75th percentile SAT/ACT scores (sometimes referred to as the middle 50%) or the average SAT/ACT scores of admitted students. However, usually, the 25th/75th percentile is provided instead of average score.The 25th percentile score means that 25% of admitted students scored at or below that score (and therefore 75% of admitted students scored above).The 75th percentile score means that 75% of admitted students scored at or below that score (and therefore 25% of admitted students scored above).The average score is just what it sounds like, an average of all the admitted students scores. The public judges this data to perceive the selectivity of the school (the higher the range, the more competitive or â€Å"better† the public thinks the school is).When you think of Ivy League schools such as Harvard, UPenn, Columbia, you likely think, "Wow those are good schools!" Why do you think they are good schools? You might think of their alumni or campuses. However, many lower ranked schools such as Denison have beautiful campuses with famous alumni like billionaire Michael Eisner. You might think of their low admissions rates, but there are othercolleges with comparable admissions rates tothe Ivies. The mainreason you associate Harvard, Stanford and other top colleges with prestige is because of their published SAT score ranges and their ranking. When doing research on applying to colleges, you likely came across the US News World Report ranking of US colleges.Every year, US News World Report assembles their rankings based on several categories including the SAT scores of admitted students.If you’re admitted to the school, your SAT score will be factored into that school’s overall national ranking in US News World Report. Top colleges such as Harvard, Yale, and Stanford want your SAT scores to be agood so that it reflects well on them. Even "second tier schools" such as Vanderbilt, USC, and Emory care about thisbecause they hope to continue to rise in theUS News World Reportrankings. Don't be blinded bybeauty or rankings! Find the right school for you! What Does This Mean for You? Because colleges rely so heavily on SAT scores in their college admissions process, you want to make sure that you have an SAT score that fits their expectations. How do you figure out what that theirscore expectation is? Remember, those score percentiles I mentioned earlier?As a brief refresher, colleges publish an admissions profile every year that shows either the 25th/75th percentile SAT/ACT scores (sometimes referred to as the middle 50%) or the average SAT/ACT scores of admitted students. Admissions officers use this data as the standard for the students they admit.Colleges willbe looking for applicantswho are in or above this range (or at or above the average). That way colleges are always getting the same or better caliber student (to either stay the same or increase their rankings). At PrepScholar, we recommend trying to get your score at or above the 75th percentile score for your target school to give yourself the best chance of admission. How To Find Out a College's SAT AdmissionRequirements? I’d recommend reading our guide to finding your SAT score for your target school first. However, the simple route is to Google Search for â€Å"[College Name] SAT PrepScholar.†That will bring you to our admissions page for your target school. You will find the average SAT score, along with the 25th/75th percentile SAT scores of admitted students, and you’ll be able to use our nifty admissions calculator to determine your chances of getting into that school based on your GPA and current SAT score. Take note of the 75th percentile SAT score listed onour admissions page for your target school. That should be your target SAT score. You can do it! What Can You Do To Improve Your SAT Score? Now that you’ve found out your target score, what can you do to reach it?If you have not prepared for the SAT, you need to. Start with our complete SAT study guide. If you’ve prepared but are still seeing no improvement, consider switching up your strategy. We’ve prepared many great SAT strategy guides. Read them hereand make sure you’re trying to incorporate some of these strategies. NOTE: not all strategies will work for all test-takers. Try out some on your practice tests. Try to figure out what works for you and what doesn't work for you. If you’ve tried all of the strategies and are still seeing no improvement, you should consider hiring a tutor or trying PrepScholar’s program.Don’t sweat! With the appropriate amount of time and effort dedicated, you should be able to reach your score. In a hurry? Check out our SAT 10-day cramming guide. What’s Next? Not sure where you’d like to go to college? Figure out how to find your target school. Worried about the rest of your college application? We’ll help you write a great personal statement and get excellent letters of recommendation. Still not sure whether the SAT or ACT is right for you? Let’s help you pick the right test for you! Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Six Sigma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Six Sigma - Essay Example Etc. This concept is also focusing on TRIZ, a problem solving methodology widely adopted in Russia. In this concept, brain storming (random Idea Generation), problem formulation, systematic analysis etc are used. The main aim of Six Sigma is customer satisfaction and product improvement, then only profitability and reduction in cost will sustain. It is providing the product which is ‘defect free process and products’. Six Sigma process is defined as the series of steps and activities that take inputs provided by the suppliers and value provide output for their customers. The Management tries to identify the most important 20 to 30 processes in their business. After identifying these process, the management tries to measure the sigma performance of these processes. The management then tries to identify the lowest performing processes that is having a direct impact on company’s performance. A project team is being formed for improving the poor performance processes. They will retained for a period of 4 to six months wherein they will be having a thorough study on these poor performance processes and taking corrective steps for its improvement to achieve effectiveness and efficiency. â€Å"Unlike other quality initiatives, Six Sigma has a strategic component aimed at not only developing managements commitment to Six Sigma, but their active involvement.† (George Eckes. Wiley, 2003. p.16). Six Sigma as a management strategy is a method for obtaining the objectives of the business. The five major Strategic business objectives are 1. Revenue 2. Profit Margin 3. Customer Satisfaction 4. Growth 5. Employee Satisfaction. In order to implement a Six Sigma strategy the responsibility of management is to identify the important process of the organization and measure their effectiveness and efficiency and to make further improvement for the worst performing process. Six Sigma tactics helps to accomplish greater

PhD - comprehensive exam - rewrite - question 1 Essay

PhD - comprehensive exam - rewrite - question 1 - Essay Example However, in developing countries improvement of existing infrastructure still remains the most integral element of the public policy. Although the direct relationship between availability of developed infrastructure and healthier economy is still debated, there is little doubt that such relationship exists and has been confirmed, both explicitly and implicitly, in a plethora of studies. Research in the field of infrastructure development in developing countries features a number of distinctive techniques, assumptions, limitations, different potential for error and error minimization techniques. Such variety is, obviously, due to extreme broadness of the term ‘infrastructure’. The American Heritage Dictionary, defines this word as â€Å"the basic facilities, services, and installations needed for the functioning of a community or society, such as transportation and communications systems, water and power lines, and public institutions including schools, post offices, and prisons.†1 Furthermore, rapid technological and political evolution has resulted in some other important concepts (e.g. homeland security) being defined under this term. The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast research methodologies used to study the development of infrastructure in developing countries. Since the term infrastructure is too broad, only one type of infrastructure services, namely librarianship, has been chosen as the focus of this research. The choice is determined by the reasonable consideration that narrowing the research subject will facilitate the process of comparison and reduce the potential for error. The scarcity of serious research in the field of infrastructure improvement in developing countries provides another justification for the choice. The author and supervisor agreed to take librarianship as the focal point in achieving the research purpose. Hemami’s

Significance of Foucault in the Study of Sexuality Essay

Significance of Foucault in the Study of Sexuality - Essay Example In earlier days, supreme people had the right of life, as well as death over his subjects. This "right of life" was, in reality, a "right of death." The supremacy practiced by the supreme people was merely a matter of deciding whether a person would be killed or not (Foucault, 1978). In general, sovereign power executed itself as a form of "inference": it consisted of the authority to take things such as life, property, privileges and taxes away from its subjects. Today, the author suggests, power no longer affirms itself as an inference, but as a "right of death" (Foucault, 1978). The authority has power over life via the deaths that it can sway. The key interest of power, these days, is in life, and how to protect, expand and enhance it. Warfare is still waged, but they are not waged in support of the "right of death" of some supreme people, but are instead waged to guarantee a better means of life for humanity. As warfare has become bloodier, the death punishment has become less o ften. Also, while the death punishment was once a resentful act of obliteration, today it is perceived as a safeguard, as a means of eradicating a threat to society. Supremacy is now exercised solely over life and is practiced either to promote life or to prohibit it. Above any other element, Foucault perceives bio-power as liable for the rise of capitalism. Humanity came to be perceived as a vital factor in politics and history. How people live became an aspect of knowledge and power. The law became less concentrated in prohibiting and disbanding, and became more concerned in optimizing and normalizing the conditions of human life. Successfully, the new-fangled power over life that the author discusses signified that humanity fell under the control of politics. The first part of part V of this volume compares two diverse applications of power: the "power over life" and "right of death". The second part of part V of this volume shows why, with the increase of bio-power, sexuality ha s turned into such a vital concept to humanity. Comprehending the difference between the power over life and right of death will be much easier if individuals leave ethical judgments aside (Foucault, 1978). Instead of trying to consider which one is "better," people should simply accept that they are diverse and endeavor to emphasize the importance of these differences. In general, humans may distinguish power over life from the right of death by arguing that the latter is a harmful kind of power and the former is an encouraging form of power. During the era of complete monarchies (France’

Quality Management at Toyota Motor Co Term Paper

Quality Management at Toyota Motor Co - Term Paper Example Most of the organisations use the standard based on ISO 9000. There is certain quality control models developed for automobile industry in various countries namely VDA for Germany, AVSQ for Italy and QS-9000 for US automobile industry among others. Since 1951, Japan offers Deming-Award for Quality Management (FinePrint, n.d.). Quality Management Based On ISO 9000 Source: (Comite euro-international du beton, 1998). 1. Brief Historical Background Toyota Motor Company is a renowned name in the automobile industry of the present world. Toyota manufactures vehicles as well as automobile-related products, such as engines, car air-conditioning compressors and car electronics components. Toyota achieved its success by applying its innovative idea of ‘lean marketing’. The aim of lean marketing is to offer additional values to the end customers (Morrison, 2011). Toyota established Toyota Motors Pvt. Ltd. in the year 1937 in Japan. In the year of 1938, production began in Honsha Pl ant. From 1959, with the initiation of Motamachi plant, the company started focusing on its quality performance that rewarded it Deming Application Prize in the year of 1965. Led by certain mergers and acquisitions, the company always focuses on the quality and comfort of its customers. Toyota Motor Company has diversified its business over the years throughout the world. In 2002, it entered into the domain of Formula One World Championship. It has taken several initiatives with respect to the quality control issues as well as for the environment. It has implemented advanced technology to manage the quality. The company has taken initiative for utilising hydrogen as alternative fuel, providing plug-in vehicles among others. The philosophy of the company is to serve customers at prompt and to satisfy the customers with enhanced quality. Toyota has its own experts to check the quality of the vehicles in various situations in order to ensure the customer safety. Toyota has put emphasis on ‘traffic safety education’ since the 1960s and never intends to compromise on the quality of vehicle. Toyota recommends safety driving lecture sessions in support of drivers as well as ‘traffic safety education’ activities designed for teenagers (Moneycontrol.com, 2007). Toyota fulfils its corporate social responsibilities (CSR) by offering safe and reliable vehicles to its customer. The automobile industry is facing newer challenges day-by-day. There are certain factors for which companies face newer challenges that can create higher demand like globalisation and increasing competition along with others. In addition, there are safety requirements and environmental commitments which have a major influence of Toyota’s operations. In the present context, customers are not satisfied with standardised vehicles; they want their personal requirements to be incorporated by the company in the vehicles that they want to purchase. Thus, Toyota has to take into consideration the needs of customers in commensurate with the quality standards of the vehicle and has to ensure that quality standards do not deter due to the added features. Toyota’s fundamental philosophy depends on five values that assemble its employees towards corporate course of action with the intention to support further development, are indicated in given figure.

Thierrys enthusiasm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Thierrys enthusiasm - Essay Example When you watch documentary film, you may be amazed, thrilled, disappointed or upset with it, but the most fascinating thing is to realize that all your emotions are based on a real story without any exaggerations or embellishments. Each documentary movie reaches, educates and compels you to think about not only the main character’s deeds, but also about your own personality, life and future.One of the didactic movies is â€Å"Exit through the Gift Shop† by Jaimie D’Cruz. In the center of the plot, there is Thierry Guetta, ordinary Frenchman, who moved to Los Angeles in 1990s. When he was eleven years old, his mother died and the boy was taken away to live with his relatives. Later on, he grew up, got married, raised two beautiful daughters and started to earn money by selling old clothes for extremely high prices. From the first sight, there is nothing special in Thierry’s life. But when you get to know this guy better, his little passion reveals itself. N o matter what Thierry does or where he goes, there is always a video camera. â€Å"The moment it came in my hand, I could not let it go. It was obsession†, Thierry says (Exit through the Gift Shop). Since that time Thierry never gets apart with a camera, trying to capture different moments of life to make them live forever. Though he never watches the tapes, which he makes, he continues to collect them in boxes in his house as the biggest memory of crucial events. As Thierry’s the greatest liking keeps on growing, his attention catches absolutely new object of filming – street art. ... In spite of the fact that many other young artists refuse to allow Thierry to tape their masterpieces, he finds variable ways to hear consent. Thierry gets amazed by all these people and takes so great interest in taping street art that occasionally he receives warnings from police. He comprehends a danger of his hobby, but for Thierry it is all another challenge, which makes him feel good. With a camera in his hand Thierry takes part in art creation, climbing with Banksy on the roofs of the houses or going to Disneyland to tape his friend’s inventions. Several years later, after not quite successful film â€Å"Life Remote Control†, which Thierry makes out of tremendous number of his video tapes, he decides to switch from taping street art to creating the art per se. With a solid goal to make a grand show named â€Å"Life is beautiful† Mister Brainwasher, as Thierry calls himself, puts all his money in a new dream. He hires a lot of builders, sculptors, designers , promoters, whose main task is to implement Thierry’s ideas into reality. The work starts in a full swing and even an accident with Thierry’s broken leg does not slow down the pace. A couple of last weeks of preparations are extremely intense for the whole crew. At last the opening day comes and over four thousand people attend the exhibition. By the end of the first week pieces of art with a total cost near one million dollars are rapidly sold. Famous Madonna asks Thierry to make a cover for her Greatest Hits Collection. Abruptly Mister Brainwasher is sensationally accepted by the audience. Analyzing this documentary movie, a viewer can easily study the whole process of dream realization from the very

The Worlds Thirst Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Worlds Thirst - Essay Example Doing this entails the use of different means, namely, the ethos, logos, and pathos. However, new products have no established credibility, thus they cannot rely on ethos unless they would convince a well-known personality such as Pres. Barack Obama or Sec. Hillary Clinton to endorse the new product. Therefore, they would attract the attention of the consumers, making use of either logos or pathos or both. Noting the serious problem of death in Africa, â€Å"Lmn† captivates the audience by appealing first to their logos. The setting of the advertisement is a perfect choice. It denotes the remarkable dearth of potable water all over the world, especially in Africa. In the opening scene, the sight of two African men under the blazing safari sun instantly suggests what the commercial is all about, the answer to the need for water or drink. Anyone who would see the advertisement will surely be reminded of the problem that haunts not only Africa but even other parts of the world. The lack of water as shown in the scenes challenges the audience to think of an alternative way to quench thirst but the setting itself limits the choice and leads them back to the setting. The last part of the segment where the Lmn drink appears connotes that one can find Lmn even in the most difficult place such as Africa. That part also suggests the global presence of the manufacturer. The use of logos is also effective in relaying the message that one does not have to do much effort in finding a drink. The technique used was quite ordinary, thus making the point clear. First, it gives propositions then leads to a sound conclusion at the end. In the first part of each commercial segment, the two characters look terribly thirsty. Then, they would attempt to look for a drink and find a way but still fail at the end despite serious troubles.  

Thierrys enthusiasm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Thierrys enthusiasm - Essay Example When you watch documentary film, you may be amazed, thrilled, disappointed or upset with it, but the most fascinating thing is to realize that all your emotions are based on a real story without any exaggerations or embellishments. Each documentary movie reaches, educates and compels you to think about not only the main character’s deeds, but also about your own personality, life and future.One of the didactic movies is â€Å"Exit through the Gift Shop† by Jaimie D’Cruz. In the center of the plot, there is Thierry Guetta, ordinary Frenchman, who moved to Los Angeles in 1990s. When he was eleven years old, his mother died and the boy was taken away to live with his relatives. Later on, he grew up, got married, raised two beautiful daughters and started to earn money by selling old clothes for extremely high prices. From the first sight, there is nothing special in Thierry’s life. But when you get to know this guy better, his little passion reveals itself. N o matter what Thierry does or where he goes, there is always a video camera. â€Å"The moment it came in my hand, I could not let it go. It was obsession†, Thierry says (Exit through the Gift Shop). Since that time Thierry never gets apart with a camera, trying to capture different moments of life to make them live forever. Though he never watches the tapes, which he makes, he continues to collect them in boxes in his house as the biggest memory of crucial events. As Thierry’s the greatest liking keeps on growing, his attention catches absolutely new object of filming – street art. ... In spite of the fact that many other young artists refuse to allow Thierry to tape their masterpieces, he finds variable ways to hear consent. Thierry gets amazed by all these people and takes so great interest in taping street art that occasionally he receives warnings from police. He comprehends a danger of his hobby, but for Thierry it is all another challenge, which makes him feel good. With a camera in his hand Thierry takes part in art creation, climbing with Banksy on the roofs of the houses or going to Disneyland to tape his friend’s inventions. Several years later, after not quite successful film â€Å"Life Remote Control†, which Thierry makes out of tremendous number of his video tapes, he decides to switch from taping street art to creating the art per se. With a solid goal to make a grand show named â€Å"Life is beautiful† Mister Brainwasher, as Thierry calls himself, puts all his money in a new dream. He hires a lot of builders, sculptors, designers , promoters, whose main task is to implement Thierry’s ideas into reality. The work starts in a full swing and even an accident with Thierry’s broken leg does not slow down the pace. A couple of last weeks of preparations are extremely intense for the whole crew. At last the opening day comes and over four thousand people attend the exhibition. By the end of the first week pieces of art with a total cost near one million dollars are rapidly sold. Famous Madonna asks Thierry to make a cover for her Greatest Hits Collection. Abruptly Mister Brainwasher is sensationally accepted by the audience. Analyzing this documentary movie, a viewer can easily study the whole process of dream realization from the very

Meeting the Challenge of Educating English Language Learners Scholarship Essay

Meeting the Challenge of Educating English Language Learners - Scholarship Essay Example BIBLIOGRAPHY noted that these foreign students are the fastest growing group entering our schools, especially in urban settings. Although there are millions of immigrants in this country and endless resources geared towards their education, the educational performance of our new community members is one of the lowest in the country ( BIBLIOGRAPHY). As an educator for over seventeen years, the author of this paper believes that the challenge of educating English as Second Language learners is without a question a task which has been adequately explored by only a few districts. These districts are the ones that are truly prepared to see the value of language and culture as an opportunity to educate learners and to effectively integrate them into our schools and community at large. Hence, it is imperative for all districts to understand the magnitude of the challenge of teaching language and content to English as Second Language learners within the same hours of a day and in the same nu mber of days per year as English learners. The Challenge Despite the efforts of educational leaders to educate all students it is interesting to analyze the impact of this education on newcomers. Firstly, although school districts continuously develop new initiatives and interventions the end result is usually the same - the initiatives essentially create a lack of access to meaningful education to the newcomer. Thus, one can conclude that school districts are still in the dark about how to specifically and effectively educate newcomers since most of the interventions become new failing attempts to successfully educate these students from foreign countries. A second rationale for the lack of effectiveness of these new initiatives is the fact that former immigrant students were intimately connected to members with the same cultural and language background. The author of this paper believes that it is this network of support which provided a source of strength and acculturation for th e continued success of a given group. However, it is evident that the United States is now experiencing a tremendously large increase of students who are new immigrants who are isolated from mainstream society due to the lack of connections, resources and networking experienced by the former immigrants. At an alarmingly rapid rate more and more immigrants from oppressed nations are entering our cities, usually, as refugees. As such the challenges of these immigrant students are more severe than any of the previous groups. Consequently, it is has become critical to bridge the cultural and linguistic gaps of these immigrant students. Educational institutions within the school districts are not prepared or equipped to assimilate the multiple academic and socio emotional needs of these new students and their families. Accordingly, the institutions are faced with the daunting task of educating individuals who not only have diverse language and cultural backgrounds in English but also ind ividuals who have limited exposure to formal education. Moreover, many of these students have experienced trauma in their home land and are now facing the acculturation shock of trying to fit in to our communities. The assimilation process which incorporates student engagement, parent engagement, discipline problems and eventually student exclusion has a significant impact in the culture of the school. Exclusion, the foremost by-product of

Fast food nation Essay Example for Free

Fast food nation Essay Let’s be real, the idea of choosing fast food is an attractive option. The ease of driving to a pick-up window to grab a delicious meal for a few dollars in under a couple of minutes is so hard to resist. I mean, who wants to drive to the grocery store to buy ingredients that cost more than an item on the value menu? Who wants to prepare and spend time cooking when you could just wait a few minutes to have someone make you food? Worst of all, who wants to clean up after the mess you made so you can repeat the cycle over again? I could see why many Americans choose such an appealing option. On the other hand, it appears that there are numerous consequences that people are too blind to notice. The entire experience about eating food among friends and families had been replaced by a rushed bite. It is to the point where people view fast food as an essential part of their habitual life. This leads to many problems like health and economic issues. America may have evolved into a fast food nation, or really a fat food nation. To this day, it seems that fast food is the â€Å"go-to† option because of its convenience, tastiness, and practicality. Unfortunately, the entire experience of eating food has transformed into a â€Å"routine†¦that is now taken for granted† (Schlosser 3). I agree with Schlosser because many people disregard the traditions that food brings to the table. Friends and families come together to eat food and enjoy each other’s company. Yet people overlook it and choose to finish their food within minutes with no words exchanged to continue what they were doing before. I think that one of the main reasons is how fast paced our country has become, and how our eating habits have sped up. Families have changed the way they eat as the years have progressed. Before, it was considered that â€Å"housewives would have a home-cooked meal ready for their husband and kids† (guest speaker, 11/20) when they arrived home. They would eat together and have conversations about anything on their minds. Those times have gradually dissolved when the workforce required wives to take on occupations. As of now, everyone is recommended to secure a job, thus are too busy to cook all the time for their families. The last thing a working mother wants to do when she comes home from an exhausting day of work is to prepare a troublesome meal for the family that is scarfed in seconds. So how do they find a way to overcome their problems? They decide to drive to a bulding that serves a warm, tasty meal to bring back to their families just to satisfy their hunger to move on with their lives. A different scenario is where students are always rushed with jam-packed schedules filled with academics, sports, and extra-curricular interests. Many students do not have the spare time to cook meals in between their busy lives. On top of that, students’ energy levels tend to be depleted at the end of the day. Cooking takes too much time and energy, or even thinking of what to make. This leads to the next convenient option: drive-thru restaurants. Nowadays, the essentialism of fast food has taken over in numerous American lives. Those with active agendas may view such fast food as â€Å"something as having universal validity rather than as being a social, ideological, or intellectual construct† (Rossiter 11/13) for practical reasons. Today’s hurried pace does not allow people the opportunity to eat leisurely with the company of others. Rather, the replacement of traditional food to fast food is the result of an intense schedule of work and school. When fast food first appeared on the planet, there was a huge economic boom after World War II. Since fast food made a successful mark in history, â€Å"fast food was added to the Merriam- Webster dictionary in 1951. † (Sena). As time progressed, there is no doubt that fast food is loved by not only Americans, but everyone globally. Modern society is always on the go, so grabbing a quick bite is always on demand. With that in mind, the rising of prices, due to economic recession, have changed the perception of many fast food owners. So how do they approach this obstacle? It seems as though fast food franchises have focused on â€Å"high volume, low cost and high speed product† (Sena). In this day and age, many people â€Å"work for wages and use wages to pay for food† (Rossiter 9/4). Due to recession, there are many working class citizens who do spend their money on fast food because that is all they could afford. It is unfortunate because people are being diagnosed with many health problems since they lack the money to buy healthier products. Speaking of which, I think it is quite ironic that a cheeseburger costs just as much as broccoli. Is it not ridiculous that healthy foods cost a lot more than value meals at restaurants? I never grasped that idea and I think that healthy foods should be cheaper than unhealthy junk food. If major fast food corporations drop the prices of healthier foods such as chicken wraps and grilled chicken salads with less fattening dressing and increase prices for the burgers and fries, health problems would be less of a concern. People would be able to eat a standard meal for an affordable price. Furthermore, if people ate healthier food, they would have more energy to be more productive in their jobs. Maybe if fast food restaurants changed their items to healthier alternatives, such issues could be less of a concern. It is hard for me to say if the book effectively conveyed the messages that Eric Schlosser wanted to share because there could have been more evidence throughout the rest of the book. Fast Food Nation was great to read about the history of how the founders lived and how fast food shaped America. Since I grew up in Los Angeles, near Anaheim, it shocked me how that Carl Karcher described the city that had â€Å"palm trees and orange groves, and smelled the citrus in the air† (Schlosser 13). If I had to describe Anaheim, I would think about the convention center, the Angel’s Stadium and of course, Disneyland; yes, this theme park is the â€Å"happiest place on Earth†, but not really like â€Å"heaven† (Schlosser 13). I found it quite interesting how fast food became a huge success after the invention of cars came up. It never crossed my mind that the creation of drive-in restaurants became such a great hit and helped the economy out incredibly. I also found this book interesting because of automobiles, this led to â€Å"the world’s first motel and the first drive-in bank. † (Schlosser 17). Due to that, food stands introduced â€Å"curb service† which seemed like drive-ins became acceptable year-long. I had no idea that the McDonald brothers were the ones to start the Speedee Service System, thus starting the fast food nation. Nor did I know that they â€Å"employed only young men† (Schlosser 20) and that attracted families rather than hiring women which attracted teenage boys. What interested me the most was that young employed men attracted families rather than teenage girls. If employed women attracted boys, it would only make sense that employed men attracted females. However, within the required pages of the book, I would say that the Schlosser could have done a better job to convey his messages. In the introduction, he stated his thoughts about how fast food affected America and how he would approach his thoughts. However, the first chapter went off topic and gave the audience a better understanding of the founding fathers of the biggest fast food joints in the world. I think that he should have referred to the impacts that fast food had on people. There was not much information about how fat food influenced the traditions of food or what happens behind the cash register. He did say a little bit about the economic trends and how the Speedee Service System allowed more families from the working- class background could afford their products. I was hoping Schlosser would talk more about traditions and experiences about food and how it evolved today. I believe that he could have stated more evidence on how fast food impacted the lives of America in the present and cut out a lot of history. Sure, the information from the past helped me understand what was going on, but rather talking about the lives of the founders, more information about what was really inside the food behind the counters could have helped Schlosser’s message. When I heard about this book, I assumed he would talk about how each item on the fast food menus were really created. I was looking forward to read about new ingredients that were injected and what livestock was raised and used to make the burgers. Also, Schlosser could have mentioned his opinions on solutions to these problems. By stating a few possible answers, he could have touched some reader’s hearts enough to make changes in their lives. It could have even helped society think twice about stuffing a Big Mac or Double-Double in their mouths. On top of that, I anticipated something similar to the documentary â€Å"Super Size Me† in the sense that Schlosser would have conducted an experiment to shock his readers. Something like Morgan Spurlock’s social experiment would have opened my eyes even more about fast food and â€Å"the issue of rising of†¦corporate social responsibility. † (Riley). By throwing in some appalling facts, it would have been more effective to the readers. Perhaps Schlosser could have one person eat any kind of fast food for a month and see if any drastic changes occurred. At the end of the day, I think it is up to the consumers to choose if they want to eat French fries or not. They are the ones to decide if they should consume a Wendy’s triple stacker burger and know the consequences. America has more options than fast food, there are easy recipes to cook, make food in advance if a schedule is too busy, or buy in bulk to save money. Eric Schlosser may have enlightened his audience throughout the rest of the book, but he can only do so much to influence his readers. Works Cited Riley, Jim. CSR at the Movies Supersize Me in 7 Minutes. Tutor2u. Tutor2u Limited, 20 Feb. 2011. http://www. tutor2u. net/blog/index. php/business-studies/comments/csr-at-the-movies-supersize-me-in-7-minutes Rossiter, Jaime. Food Nationalism/Ethnicity. Essentialism. San Diego State University, San Diego. 1 Dec. 2013. Lecture. Rossiter, Jaime. Global Food Regime. Geography of Food. San Diego State University, San Diego. 25 Nov. 2013. Lecture. Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. Sena, Matt. Fast Food Industry Analysis 2013 – Cost Trends. Fast Food Industry Analysis 2013. FranchiseHelp Holdings LLC, n. d. Web. 28 Nov. 2013. http://www. franchisehelp. com/industry- reports/fast-food-industry-report.

The Feudal Society of Matewan :: Stone Mountain Coal Company Economics Essays

The Feudal Society of Matewan The Stone Mountain Coal Company wielded monopoly control over the town of Matewan through a feudal system of economic, cultural, political, and environmental processes. Every person in the town of Matewan came under the power of the company in one way or another. The employees of Stone Mountain were under a bondage contract with the company. Once they came to the company it was impossible to leave and at the same time maintain a basic standard of living. They could not leave also because once they signed on with the company they owed the company a large sum of money for everything ranging from the ticket for the train that brought them to Matewan to the equipment they needed to work there. In this way it was as if they were paying the company to let them work in the mines rather the other way around. They did not have the rights basic to capitalism such as the right to join a union, the right to sell their labor in a labor market to the bidder of their choice, and the rig ht to spend their wage freely. The Stone Mountain Coal Company controlled the processes involving the production, circulation, and distribution of products and services in the town of Matewan. Most of the people in the town were employees of the company and others were in debt to the company through mortgages and loans. Everyone depended on the company for daily necessities such as food and clothing because the company owned the stores in Matewan and because all employees of Matewan were paid in company script which only allowed them to buy in the company stores. Furthermore, their contract said that to buy from any other store would mean immediate discharge from employment. The Stone Mountain Coal company was the only major employer in town. To become self-employed, citizens of Matewan would have needed initial endowments of resources, products and land that were only available at the company's prerogative. The Stone Mountain Coal company kept economic control through political processes which served to punish behavior unfavorable to the company. The company sent in agents from Baldwin-Felts to act as the feudal managers or Knights who intimidated the people and infiltrated the new union.

Scenario Planning Essay -- Business, Strategic Organizational Plannin

Nowadays business leaders need to understand environment which is going to be more complex. Organisations are open system so that organisations need to adapt environment which they operate in. Matridakis, Hogarth and Gaba (2010) argued that traditional tools did not fit well to new complex environment. Although complex environment and level of uncertainty cannot be explained by forecasting, most of the traditional method including strategic planning and organizational development method are tried to use past trends and forecast future. Therefore, scenario planning gets more recognition from the manager whose company operates in such kind of volatile, uncertain environment. Kahane (1992) (Cited in Charmack et al 2001) scenario planning is an effective method for understand critical future uncertainties and investigating drawbacks of the organisations. There are so many aspect and definition of scenario planning. â€Å"Scenarioâ€Å" means an outline or synopsis of a play. The word scenario is derived from the Italian word scena, scene, that comes from the Latin scaena. According to Schwartz (1998:6) scenarios present alternative of future. Kahn and wiener (1967) defined â€Å" Scenarios are narrative description of future†(Cited in AC/UNU Millennium Project) Porter (1985) defined scenarios â€Å"an internally consistent view of what the future might turn to be – not forecast but one possible future outcome† There is big argument on the scenarios, whether it is static or dynamic. Becker (1983) defined that scenarios are people imaging for future like photo. Although Wack (1985), Schoemaker (1991), van der heijden (1996) supported dynamic view of scenarios and they stated that Scenarios are the process of evolution that was linked to strategic devel... ... In conclusion, scenarios are related to future, according to some of the authors scenarios have a static vision, but for the others scenarios include dynamic aspects. Scenario planning is process of positioning plausible scenarios. Some of the author in this field using different name for scenario planning such as scenario thinking, scenario based planning. It includes two sides, first scenario development and then strategy development. O’brien (2003) stated that scenario planning is a soft problem structuring method and qualitative approach. Schoemaker (1997) stated that scenario planning allows more subjective element and macro environment variable than computer simulation programs. Also these methods include system dynamics and risk analysis. It is easy to conclude that scenario planning is a managerial tool of strategic thinking (Bood and Postma 1998).

Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esquivel Essay

Recipes in Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esquivel The kitchen has long been associated with the mandatory or compulsory servitude of women. â€Å"Barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen† remains the most limiting of the stereotypically masculine preferred roles for women. Cecilia Lawless contends that culinary endeavors, like cooking and creating or following recipes â€Å"is traditionally considered a gendered discourse – the woman’s domain, hence marginalized – and therefore not a discourse of empowerment† (Lawless 262). However, women writers around the globe are finding newfound power in the domestic domain of the kitchen by creating a truly feminine discourse replete with recipes, cooking, and therapeutic female-to-female communication. Janice Jaffe claims that in particular, â€Å"a number of Hispanic American and Latina women writers seem to be reclaiming the kitchen† (Jaffe 218). Jaffe’s statement, validated by a 1984 conference dedicated to the writings of Latin American and Latina women entitled The Frying Pan by the Handle, supports the proclamation of the importance of the kitchen for all women writers. She goes on to describe the naming of The Kitchen Table Press in 1981, an U.S.-based organization for women of color. She explains that â€Å"the name was chosen ‘because the kitchen is the center of the home, the place where women in particular work and communicate with each other† (219). The commonality among the above-mentioned works of women writers around the globe is that they are â€Å"reclaiming the kitchen as a space of creative power rather than confinement† (219). The remarkable prominence of female authorship in culinary narratives can be attributed in part to the acknowledgement of a tradition: recipe fiction provides a means by which women authors can pay homage to what they have received from their foremothers. That lineage becomes especially important for today’s society that has allowed for the mass exodus of women from the kitchen. Today’s economy demands that to achieve and maintain a comfortable standard of living, women must enter the workforce, alongside their mates. This migration ultimately leaves little time for the culinary arts, as the experience of food is largely reduced to the acquiring of basic sustenance. As a result, for many people, food has lost its pleasure and intimacy, transposed as it is to fast-food restaurants and microwave miracles. Once convenience foods had become the â€Å"order of the day,† however, culinary romances could function in a contrary action as a means of preserving the Epicurean arts and affirming a matriarchal realm. For both writers and readers, then, these narratives develop a means of both remembering and honoring the lives of our foremothers as most of us hurry about from one meeting to the next, a Big Mac on a food tray, in our cars. (Lawless) In Like Water for Chocolate, Laura Esquivel begins each chapter with a list of ingredients for one particular recipe. She, however, does not index them, or any of the other recipes that she includes, and thus ensures that her book more closely resembles a true cookbook journal than do those written by culinary writers. As the kitchen has traditionally been of little concern to men, very few of them have written or participated in the creation of receipt collections and subsequently in culinary narratives. Their domain was, and largely still is, that of labour,6 though noticeable exceptions to this avoidance are the many world-class chefs who are male. Typically, throughout patriarchal history, men would go to work, while women would stay at home and prepare the food. Until recently, this pattern has been fairly constant, men have functioned outside the home, and women have tended to function inside it. It is my opinion, then, as a consequence, when men wrote, they wrote about things they knew about or desired—often as not, those things outside the kitchen. This paper discusses such an example of the kind of culinary empowerment and creative reclamation in Laura Esquivel’s magical realist novel, Like Water for Chocolate. In this text, Esquivel creates a character that has the ability to induce emotional and physical reactions with the food she prepares. By means of mystical subconscious desires and commands. Esquivel’s protagonist affects the minds, hearts and bodies of those around her, and she also elicits physical responses from her own body. Denied the possibility of emotional love and physical, sexual experiences due to family tradition, Tita struggles to repress the desires of her body and heart by means of mental fortitude. By pitting her mind against her body, Tita suffers internal chaos and turmoil, but her subconscious and her body doesn’t let her submit or surrender. Only by freeing herself from familial restrictions that forced her to negate her physicality can Tita begin to develop to a sense individual agency and self. By breaking out of her cultural confines, she creates a new site of power for herself, one that will eventually unite her body, heart and mind into one complete and whole being, exercising total control of her life, her love and her destiny. Laura Esquivel’s novel of recipes and romance, a parody of the mid-nineteenth century women’s magazines that included â€Å"recipes, home remedies, and. often, sentimental novels in monthly installments† (Ibsen 137), chronicles the birth, life and death of Josefita â€Å"Tita† de la Garza. Like Water for Chocolate begins with the story of how Tita precipitated her own birth, a strong indication of her power as an individual. Tita was so sensitive to onions, any time they were being chopped, they say she would just cry and cry; when she was still in my great-grandmother’s belly her sobs were so loud that even Nacha, the cook, who was half-deaf, could hear them easily. Once her wailing got so violent that it brought on an early labor. And before my great-grandmother could let out a word or even a whimper, Tita made her entrance into this world, prematurely, right there on the kitchen table amidst the smells of simmering noodle soup, thyme, bay leaves, and cilantro, steamed milk, garlic, and of course, onion. (Esquivel 5-6) However, shortly after her birth, the reader learns of Tita’s utter lack of power to direct her destiny. The book postulates that the reason Tita â€Å"was already crying as she emerged,† results from the fact that â€Å"maybe†¦she knew then that it would be her lot in life to be denied marriage† (6). Her mother decreed that as the youngest daughter, Tita was destined to remain unmarried and care for her mother, Mama Elena, until her death. Unfortunately for Tita this meant that she must resist her body and heart’s desire to â€Å"experience love† (12). The novel, most frequently categorized as a parody, can also be classified as both Postmodern and Post-Revolutionary. It is Postmodern in its attempt to subvert and undermine the epigraph addressed to Latina women: â€Å"To the table or to bed: You must come when you are bid† (Esquivel). Maria Elena de Valdes elaborates on the statement in this way: A verbal image emerges of the model Mexican rural middle class woman. She must be strong and far more clever than the men who supposedly protect her. She must be pious, observing all the religious requirements of a virtuous daughter, wife, and mother. She must exercise great care to keep her sentimental relations as private as possible and. most important of all, she must be in control of life in her house, which means essentially kitchen and bedroom, or food and sex. (de Valdes 86) In a similar vein. Joanne Saltz describes the historical context of the Post-Revolutionary novel by claiming that, the text is one in which the Mexican Revolution reverberates, overturning literary and social conventions of form, the position of women in society, their social conduct and the regulation of their bodies, and at the same time debunking the feminist myth of the superwoman. (Saltz 30-1) In this atmosphere of change for Latina women in Mexican history, one must align oneself with either the traditional view of women and their place in society described by de Valdes, or the more modern position toward women as depicted by Saltz. The opening pages of Like Water for Chocolate follow a Postmodern/Post-Revolutionary. Mexican literary tendency to ascribe â€Å"the fundamental aspects of the liberal hero/heroine as living a life of ‘sacrifice, abnegation (denial of one’s desires), martyrdom’ in the hope of vindication at some time in the future† (Schaefer 83). That sacrifice and abnegation will be forever present in Tita’s life is evident by Mama Elena’s decree, but Esquivel cues her reader that the character of Tita will also achieve martyrdom and vindication with her statement that. â€Å"Tita did not submit† (Esquivel 11). Her subtle hint that Tita would not quietly agree with her mother’s â€Å"family tradition† (11). promises to create underlying tension and open conflagration between the two as Tita attempts to redefine the stifling traditional roles for women which Mama Elena so closely follows. In addition to the â€Å"enforced celibate destiny† (Lawless 262) of Tita, Mama Elena dominates and dictates almost every aspect of her children’s lives, as well as the management of the ranch house.   Several examples of the matriarch’s total domination and unquestionable authority appear throughout the novel. Tita remarks that, â€Å"in the De la Garza family, one obeyed -immediately† (Esquivel 12). When met with any form of disobedience. Mama Elena is quick to â€Å"correct† the offender, who is usually Tita. When presents with a suspiciously unruly look on her daughter’s face, â€Å"Mama Elena read the look on her face and flew into a rage, giving Tita a tremendous slap that let her rolling in the dirt† (27). Instances of her physical and mental abuse consistently permeate the entire work, and the character of Mama Elena is portrayed as efficiently violent and destructive. Tita relates that, â€Å"unquestionably, when it came to dividing, dismantling, dismembering, desolating, detaching, dispossessing, destroying, or dominating. Mama Elena was a pro† (97). Tita reveals the feelings of defeat and domination she experiences at the hands of her mother in the following passage. Mama Elena was merciless, killing with a single blow. But then again not always. For Tita she had made an exception; she had been killing her a little at a time since she was a child, and she still hadn’t quite finished her off. (49) Tita despairingly attempts to please her mother to no avail â€Å"no matter how hard Tita tried she always got an infinite number of things wrong† (94). Mama Elena’s strict adherence to cultural, traditional and familial mores, like those taught to all young Mexican girls from â€Å"Carreno’s manual of etiquette† (39), serves as the primary source of Tita’s servile confinement in the ranch house. Her mother is linked with the traditional. Europeanized version of middle class women in Mexico, a model that Tita cannot follow. In Mama Elena’s defense, the reader later learns of the possible source of her tyrannical reign in the household. After her death, Tita discovers some old love letters, while going through her mother’s possessions. Apparently, the true love of Mama Elena’s life was not her husband. Mama Elena had loved a black man, but propriety forbid their relationship. Upon learning the real reason for her mother’s perpetual anger, Tita begins to understand what a wretched existence her mother led. Esquivel describes Tita’s newfound sympathy for her mother: â€Å"During the funeral Tita really wept for her mother. Not for the castrating mother who had repressed Tita her entire life, but for the person who had lived a frustrated love† (138). Enforcing her will upon her daughters is Mama Elena’s attempt to compensate for her own lack of sexual agency. When Tita learns of the source for her mother’s anger and frustration, she sympathizes with her mother’s plight. Unfortunately, this discovery comes only after Mama Elena’s death. During her lifetime, Tita’s relationship with her mother is less like mother/daughter and more like master/servant. Faced with this unsatisfactory relationship with her mother, Tita turns to the indigenous Indian cook. Nacha, as a substitute mother, a natural turn of events given that Nacha’s domain was the kitchen where Tita was born and cared for as an infant. Esquivel writes that, â€Å"thanks to her unusual birth, Tita felt a deep love for the kitchen, where she spent most of her life from the day she was born† (6). When Mama Elena’s milk dries up, it is Nacha who takes over the feeding of the baby girl who â€Å"grew vigorously and healthy on a diet of teas and thin corn gruels† (7). The narrator maintains that this â€Å"explains the sixth sense Tita developed about everything concerning food.† and that the kitchen â€Å"was Tita’s realm† (7). When she is no longer allowed to play in the kitchen with her sisters, Nacha became her only friend and playmate. Through her time in the kitchen with Nacha, Tita receives the unconditional love that should have been provided by her mother. Indeed, Tita’s fondest memories of her time spent with Nacha include such maternal activities as â€Å"the way she braided her hair and tucked Tita in at night, took care of her when she was sick, and cooked what she craved†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (168). Nacha also serves as an invaluable teacher to Tita, who benefits from her culinary expertise, prowess with herbal remedies, and inventiveness with household tips. Within the narrative of the novel â€Å"Nacha serves as the good mother substitute in contrast to the bad biological mother† (Lawless 264). This binary serves to support Kristine Ibsen’s claim that â€Å"the narration privilege: the ancient oral tradition of female knowledge bequeathed to Tita by Nacha over the artificial rules of conduct, upheld by Mama Elena and reproduced by Rosaura† (Ibsen 140). This oppositional relationship between the â€Å"female knowledge† of Nacha and Tita and â€Å"artificial rules of conduct† followed by Mama Elena and Rosaura produces numerous conflicts and volatile situations throughout the narrative, beginning with Rosaura’s wedding in February’s installment. From her magical realist birth episode in January’s installment of the novel, Tita subconscious powers increase in potency during the February chapter. In this chapter the reader first learns of Tita’s ability to influence the minds and bodies of others subconsciously through the food she prepares. Tita helps Nacha with the cooking, and obligingly assists with the preparation of the wedding feast for her older sister, Rosaura. Forbidden by Mama Elena to marry his true love (Tita), Pedro agrees to marry her older sister just to be near Tita. In despair and suffering from a broken heart, Tita weeps into the cake batter and later into the bowl of icing. Nacha tastes the icing to ensure that Tita’s salty tears have not affected the flavor. The flavor was unaffected, but surprisingly, â€Å"Nacha was overcome with an intense longing† (Esquivel 34). She went to bed crying and was unable to get out of bed the next morning. Later that day, after eating the wedding cake, everyone at the reception was â€Å"flooded with a great wave of longing† (39), then they began weeping. Inexplicably, under some sort of â€Å"strange intoxication† all of the guests began â€Å"collective vomiting† (39). Rosaura accuses Tita of ruining her wedding day by poisoning her cake, but only Tita knows that â€Å"she had added only one extra ingredient to the cake, the tears she had shed while preparing it† (41). There was no corroboration for her story because Nacha dies overnight from remembered sorrow; her heart broken years before when Mama Elena refused to allow her to marry her own true love. The emotional state of Tita, made corporeal by her tears, transferred itself through the cake and into the hearts and bodies of those who ate it. As Lawless describes it, â€Å"Tita herself has become incarnate in the food† (Lawless 265). Tita’s ability to cause emotional and sexual longing in others subversively serves as a reminder of the bodily urges and corporeality that have been denied Tita. Yet, this preliminary experience of affecting other people†s emotions and bodies through her cooking appears to go unrecognized by Tita, who continues to prepare the family’s meals. When her body is burning with unrequited love and lust for Pedro, she prepares quail in rose petal sauce using the roses that Pedro had given her as a gift. While handling the roses, Tita pricks herself on a thorn and her blood mixes with the sauce. As the family eats the dish that evening, Tita’s sister Gertrudis is sent into a state of overwhelming lust akin to spontaneous combustion. What follows equates to a psychological sexual experience between Tita and Pedro. On her the food seemed to act as an aphrodisiac: she began to feel an intense heat pulsing through her limbs. An itch in the center of her body kept her from sitting properly in her chair. She began to sweat, imagining herself on horseback with her arms clasped around one of Pancho Villa’s men. She got her handkerchief and tried to wipe these sinful thoughts from her mind as she wiped away the sweat. But it was no use, something strange had happened to her. She turned to Tita for help, but Tita wasn’t there, even though her body was sitting up quite properly in her chair; there wasn’t the slightest sign of life in her eyes. It was as if a strange alchemical process had dissolved her entire being in the rose petal sauce, in the tender flesh of the quails, in the wine, in every one of the meal’s aromas. That was the way she entered Pedro’s body, hot, voluptuous, perfumed, totally sensuous. With that meal it seemed they had discovered a new system of communication, in which Tita was the transmitter. Pedro the receiver, and poor Gertrudis the medium, the conducting body through which the singular sexual message was passed. Pedro didn’t offer any resistance. He let Tita penetrate him to the farthest corners of his being, and all the while they couldn’t take their eyes off each other. He said, â€Å"Thank you. I have never had anything so exquisite.† (Esquivel 51) In this rose petal episode, Tita’s powers to invade and affect the bodies of others bears a striking resemblance to the Catholic tradition of communion, de Valdes notes the significance of the encounter in this way: â€Å"This is clearly much more than communication through food or a mere aphrodisiac; this is a form of transubstantiation whereby the rose petal sauce and quail have been turned into the body of Tita† (de Valdes 87). When the â€Å"body of Tita† enters Pedro and Gertrudis, they are powerless to stop its effects on their own bodies. Gertrudis continues to suffer an internal burning heat, and she exudes the heavy, heady scent of roses. When she attempts to take a shower in order to quell her burning desires, she sets the shower stall on fire. By coincidence, as she runs naked from the flaming shower stall, a rebel soldier in a nearby city following an irresistible scent of roses, rides in on horseback and sweeps her away with him. Gertrudis and Juan passionately and skillfully make love on galloping horseback, enacting what Tita and Pedro could only dream of doing together. Held to strict cultural and familial standards that neither could breach, the two lovers continue to suppress their physical attraction for each other. The rose petal episode marks the escalation of Tita’s mystical subconscious ability to transfer her emotions into the food she prepares, which produces psychological and physical reactions in the bodies of the people who consume her culinary products. The episode also serves as a subversive parody of Catholic discourse, which is historically associated with the hierarchical dualism of mind and body, devaluing carnal appetites. Esquivel instead â€Å"both acknowledges the authenticity of the female sex drive in women, who according to tradition, are asexual, and highlights the social conventions that punish women for acting on that drive† (Saltz 35). In April’s installment, Tita subconsciously influences her body’s reproductive processes when she miraculously produces breast milk for Pedro and Rosaura’s baby. Tita actually birthed Roberto as â€Å"she was the only one present at the birth of her nephew† (Esquivel 71), and she instantly falls in love with the child. Esquivel writes that, â€Å"the baby’s cries filled all the empty space in Tita’s heart. She realized that she was feeling a new love: for life, for this child, for Pedro, even for the sister she had despised so long† (73). Rosaura falls very ill from the childbirth and cannot nurse Roberto. Unfortunately, the wet nurse they found for the child is killed after one month’s time. The baby desperately needs milk, and although â€Å"she knew it was completely dry† (76), Tita offers her sister’s child her supposedly empty breast. Incredibly, the child sucks happily at Tita’s milk-giving breast, despite Tita’s incapacity to understand or believe what was happening. After all, â€Å"it wasn’t possible for an unmarried woman to have milk† (76), but mysteriously, it was possible for Tita. In another subversive stab at Catholicism, Esquivel depicts the virgin Tita as the virgin mother Mary, able to produce a child and breast milk for that child without ever having â€Å"known† a man. Tita subconsciously wishes to be the child’s mother so badly that her body responds rather appropriately by magically providing her with breast milk for the baby. In the same manner in which Nacha had taken over the maternal duties of Tita, so Tita acts as a substitute mother to Rosaura’s child: â€Å"it was as if the child’s mother was Tita, not Rosaura. That’s how she felt and acted† (78). Tita cares for Roberto as if he were her own child, hers and Pedro’s. After all, without her mother’s interference, she would be the wife of Pedro and the mother of Roberto. Having Roberto in her life made her subservient confinement to her mother bearable. She thinks to herself, â€Å"What did her fate matter, when she had this child near her, this child who was as much hers and anybody’s? Really, she did a mother’s work without the official title, Pedro and Roberto were hers and that was all she needed† (79). However, due to her mother’s control, Tita fails to empower herself through her substitute motherhood. Mama Elena suspects that Pedro and Tita secretly have an indecent relationship, and she sends Pedro, Rosaura and Roberto away from the ranch. Without Tita’s breast milk, the child dies, and Tita is overcome with grief. She has nursed and mothered the child, but then she loses him completely. Interestingly, Tita equates the loss of the child with the destruction of the only place she feels an element of control – the kitchen. When she learns of Roberto’s death, she â€Å"felt the household crashing down around her head† and hears â€Å"the sound of all the dishes breaking into a thousand pieces† (99). When Mama Elena scolds Tita for having a reaction to the news and commands, â€Å"First work, then do as you please, except crying, do you hear?† (99). Tita brazenly confronts her mother for the first time in her life. Tita felt violent agitation take possession of her being: still fingering the sausage, she calmly met her mother’s gaze and then, instead of obeying her order, she started to tear apart all the sausages she could reach, screaming wildly. â€Å"Here’s what I do with your orders! I’m sick of them! I’m sick of obeying you!† (99) Suffering greatly from grief and depression and a broken nose at the angry hands of Mama Elena, Tita crawls up into the dovecote and has a breakdown. The entire June installment describes her time of healing with the help of Dr. John Brown. Tita refuses to speak for six months, and when questioned by the doctor as to why she wouldn’t speak to him, Tita uses a piece of phosphorus to write the words, â€Å"Because I don’t want to† (118). The narrator applauds Tita’s initial efforts at selfhood when she informs the reader that, â€Å"With these words Tita had taken her first step toward freedom† (118). Only by breaking the stifling rules of conduct and doing what she wants to do instead of what she should do, will Tita develop a sense of self and control over her life. John proves to be of invaluable assistance to Tita during her period of convalescence in his home. His saintly patience with her. coupled with the comforting presence of his grandmother’s ghost, a Kikipu Indian, help Tita regain a sense of stability, inner strength, and an eagerness to live outside the confines of her mother’s convent-like ranch house. â€Å"Her first step toward freedom,† away from her mother and toward selfhood, appears to be short-lived when Tita, who has recently agreed to marry John, leaves the safety and security of his home and returns to the ranch to care for her ailing mother. Mama Elena is so embittered by what she considers to be Tita’s blatant disobedience and dishonor to the family that every morsel of food prepared by Tita leaves an unbearably bitter taste in her mouth. To counteract the supposed poisoning of her food, Mama Elena drinks large quantities of ipecac syrup every day, which soon brings about her death. Knowing the misery of her mother’s life of unrequited love and unfulfilled corporeal desires. Tita â€Å"swore in front of Mama Elena’s tomb that come what may, she would never renounce love† (138).   Little did she know that Tita would soon test her own proclamation. Mama Elena’s death brings Pedro and Rosaura, who is pregnant with her second child, back to the ranch.   Tita, engaged to John, still madly loves Pedro, who confesses his love for her. Pedro rationalizes with Tita that now that Mama Elena was dead, they could have a relationship. Tita and Pedro do consummate their love, despite Pedro’s marriage to Tita’s sister and despite Tita’s engagement to John Brown. Soon after their first lovemaking encounter in the bathing room of Mama Elena, Tita begins to suspect that she is pregnant. At this point in the novel, Tita again exercises incredible subconscious influence and control over her body when she causes her body to spontaneously abort the lovechild. Corresponding to the condition of her pregnancy, the ghost of Mama Elena appears to berate Tita and her behavior. Mama Elena’s ghost curses Tita, her behavior and the unborn child she carries: â€Å"What you have done has no name! You have forgotten all morality, respect, and good behavior. You are worthless, a good-for-nothing who doesn’t respect even yourself. You have blackened the name of my entire family, from my ancestors down to this cursed baby you carry in your belly!† (173) Tita’s problems are only compounded when she tells Pedro of her pregnancy, who is thrilled to learn that he and Tita would soon have a child together. He proposes that they run away together, but Tita cannot bring herself to hurt her sister and niece by abandoning them that way. She also felt perpetual fear that â€Å"any minute some awful punishment was going to descend on her from the great beyond, courtesy of Mama Elena† (198). Indeed, the spirit of Mama Elena again descends on Tita to mock her situation and remind her of her indecency and unthinking immorality. When Tita confronts the ghost of her mother, she finally rids herself of her mother’s presence and her antiquated traditional ideals of propriety by telling the ghost that she hates her. As soon as Tita frees herself from the confining restrictions of her mother’s domination, she experiences a spontaneous and sudden miscarriage/menstruation. As the ghost faded away, a sense of relief grew inside Tita’s body. The inflammation in her belly and the pain in her breasts began to subside. The muscles at the center of her body relaxed, loosing a violent menstrual flow. The discharge, so many days late, relieved all her pains. She gave a deep peaceful sigh. She wasn’t pregnant. (200) The act empowers her in two ways. First, by eradicating the remnants of her mother’s dominion over her. Tita has simultaneously provided herself with a temporary reprieve from the impending disastrous effects that her pregnancy would have had on the rest of her family. Secondly. Tita rejects the biological maternity of Mama Elena, in essence aborting herself from her dead mother’s womb. Her psyche directed her corporeal reproductive functions by eliminating the problems associated with her pregnancy.   Without this impediment, Tita and Pedro continue their relationship, under an agreement made with her sister to keep their relationship hidden from Esperanza, the second child of Pedro and Rosaura, and the rest of the community. Their love affair lasts for many years, and culminates on the wedding day of Esperanza and Alex, the son of Dr. Brown. As usual, Tita prepares the meal for the feast, and labors terrifically to make chiles in walnut sauce. After many clandestine and secretive years, Tita and Pedro have finally fulfilled their portion of the terms of discretion now that Mama Elena and Rosaura were dead, and Esperanza would be leaving the family home. Upon her departure, Tita and Pedro would be free to love each other openly. This thought plays upon Tita’s mind as she prepares the chiles, and after eating them, the guests at the reception become incredibly amorous toward their partners. Tita and Pedro especially felt this condition. They knew that â€Å"for the first time in their lives† they could â€Å"make love freely† (242). Entering the â€Å"dark room,† which has been prepared for the lovers by the caring ghost of Nacha, the two are overcome with passion. For Tita, their lovemaking brings her to the brink of the â€Å"brilliant tunnel† that John had warned her about. During her stay with Dr. Brown. Tita learns of his grandmother’s theory concerning the â€Å"spark of life† in each of us in which she said that, each of us is born with a box of matches inside us but we can’t strike them all by ourselves; we need oxygen and a candle to help. In this case, the oxygen, for example, would come from the breath of the person you love: the candle could be any kind of food, music, caress, word, or sound that engenders the explosion that lights one of the matches. (115) This theory comes with a strong caution from Dr. Brown in which he warns against lighting all the matches at once because â€Å"they would produce a splendor so dazzling†¦and then a brilliant tunnel would appear before our eyes, revealing the path we forgot the moment we were born, and summoning us to regain the divine origin we had lost† (117). If an individual were to light all the matches, see the tunnel, and follow its path, the body would die. Because she wanted to â€Å"explore these emotions many more times,† Tita â€Å"checked her passion† (243). Unfortunately, the lovemaking so consumes and enthralls Pedro that he â€Å"died at the moment of ecstasy† (244). Determined not to be left alone, Tita decides to join him. She remembers the lesson taught to her by John and exercises mental control to bring about the desired physical condition – death. She eats candles and envisions the times she and Pedro spent together, â€Å"their first kiss, the first caress, the first time they made love† (245). Engaging in this suicidal mental masturbation, she reignites the flame inside of herself achieving an â€Å"amorous climax† (245), and joins Pedro who stands waiting for her in a tunnel of light. Love triumphs in death because, â€Å"Never again would they be apart† (245). Just as she induced her own birth, Tita instigates her own death, exercising total control over her body, her love and her destiny. She unites the emotional, mental and physical factors of her being in order to achieve a self-determined level of happiness in her life. The struggle for Tita’s has been arduous and exacting to the point of her death, but she acknowledges that fulfilling one’s desires was an effort worth taking. Life had taught her that it was not easy; there are few prepared to fulfill their desires whatever the cost, and the right to determine the course of one’s own life would take more effort than she had imagined. That battle she had to fight alone, and it weighed on her. (168) In this statement, Esquivel echoes the historical Post-Revolutionary realization of many Latina women writers that â€Å"social change so often requires individual sacrifice† (Schaefer xiv). The realization followed social disillusionment with â€Å"Utopian promises for ‘healing’ both physical and psychological wounds† (xiii). Through her powerful and empowered presence in the kitchen, Tita creates a lasting narrative, which becomes a sort of recipe, â€Å"a how-to book on surviving a mother’s tyranny, or finding love in the midst of familial and social struggle, or returning to the paradiscal home† (Lawless 263). Once denied the body and its pleasures, Tita ultimately owns and controls her body and its functions, refusing to quietly submit to cultural constructs and restraints. Through the use of magical realism’s blurred boundaries, Esquivel creates for Tita â€Å"a new terrain†¦not a room of one’s own, not a merely public or private self, or a domestic realm – it is a space in the imagination which allows for the inside, the outside, and the liminal elements of in between† (268-9). For Tita, it is a space that allows her to be a whole, unified, balanced woman. In this way, Tita creates a new self, one comprised of equilateral elements of mind, heart and body, which contribute to a condition of self-satisfaction as a being of both corporeal and psychological desires. However, the fact that her self-creation can only be found in death negatively impacts the suggested availability of personal freedoms for women. Is it only in death that women can be truly free of cultural and familial restrictions and demands? Some would agree, but others envision alternatives. Ibsen claims that by â€Å"proclaiming women as a source of energy in their own right, the absolute of the dominant order are undermined and an alternate order is posited† (Ibsen 143). In Laura Esquivel’s Like Water for Chocolate, the dominant order of the hierarchy of mind versus body is displaced, and replaced with a balanced, fulfilled, and whole woman who refuses to submit passively to rules that don’t apply to her. By including recipes within texts such as Like Water for Chocolate, authors invite the reader to become a part of a specialized community. By sharing her secrets with the audience, the author establishes a level of communication and trust that rises above mere reader response, permitting the reader potentially to take what the author has written and prepare the very meal described in the text s/he has just read. In this recipe sharing, audience participation can move to a whole new level. If the reader were to prepare one of the prescribed dishes and to enjoy the food, one could argue that she would perhaps appreciate the book more because its sensory pleasure would then have transcended the limitations of the written text and moved onto the palate and provoked further association. Conversely, should the reader be disappointed with the meal, it is also possible that the reader’s enjoyment of the text could be significantly diminished. Thus in allowing the text to become inter-active, the author redefines the boundaries between text and reader. As the majority of culinary narratives are written by women and are by and large for women, a distinctive feminine voice emerges from these texts, allowing for the creation of a female literary vehicle. This vehicle provides a means to tell the female experience and combined with its inclusion of recipes and cooking instructions, is gradually becoming a popular and innovative new form of writing. References Esquivel, Laura. (1992). Like Water for Chocolate. A Novel in Monthly Installments, with Recipes, Romances, and Home Remedies. Trans. Carol Christensen and Thomas Christensen. New York: Doubleday. Ibsen, Kristine. (1995). â€Å"On Recipes, Reading, and Revolution: Postboom Parody in Como agua para chocolate.† Hispanic Review 63.2: 133-46. Jaffe, Janice. (1993). â€Å"Hispanic American Women Writer’s Novel Recipes and Laura Esquivel’s Como agua para chocolate† Women’s Studies 22.2: 217-30. Lawless, Celia. (1997). â€Å"Cooking, Community, Culture: A Reading of Como agua para chocolate† In Recipes for Reading. Community, Cookbooks, Stories, Histories, ed. Anne L. Bower. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press. Saltz, Joanne. (1995). â€Å"Laura Esquivel’s Como agua para chocolate: The Questioning of Literary and Social Limits.† Chasqui: 30-37. Schaefer, Claudia. (1992). Textured Lives: Women, Art and Representation in Modern Mexico. Tuscon and London: U ARIZ Press. Valdà ©s, Marà ­a Elena de. (1995). â€Å"Verbal and Visual representation of Women: Como agua para chocolate/Like water for Chocolate. † World Literature Today 69.1: 78-82.